Based on your own family's experience, what do you think we should do to improve health care in America?

We need to distinguish between health care and wealth

care. There is too much money in the system and it's controlled

by too few. Health insurance companies and pharmaceutical

companies are obscenely profitable while people have to wait

to see their doctors because of disincentives created by...

the very insurance companies they pay money to!

Specialists literally make millions of dollars per year -- so they

have no incentive to change the system.

The most potent forces in any market are (a) flexibility

in supply and consumer power.

Right now, the supply of doctors in the US is controlled by the

AMA because the AMA controls the number of residency spots

in the US. And consumers have no incentive to shop because

their insurance companies (not them) are paying.

Here's a formula:

1. Allow qualified foreign doctors to enter the US much

like technical professionals can on H1-B visas.

2. Allow qualified foreign nurses and other healthcare staff

to enter the US on H1-B visas.

3. Triple the number of residency positons in the US.

4. Make preventive care free.

5. Make people pay for their own care -- give them an incentive

to shop for the care they need. (Right now, they don't care

how much it costs because insurance pays.) Have insurance

for only high cost care items, not for office visits.

6. Allow prescription drugs to be imported as long as they're

tested by reputable testing labs to be comparable to US drugs.

7. Allow Medicare to pay for treatment obtained abroad.

Government bureaucracy doesn't slow down health care. Nor does it mean that you should end up paying more via your tax dollars for health care than you are paying through insurance premiums and from your own pocket.

The US so-called health care system IS the result of greed, ambition and capitalism, as well as the blase attitude of those who can afford whatever they want and simply don't give a @#$)#* about those who can't.

BTW, I do mean YOUR. I'm a Canadian, and I live in a country that actually cares enough about it's citizens and residents to provide universal health insurance.

Americans admire the European socialist healthcare system. Here are some differences between Europe and America:

1. In Europe, medical school is nearly free. So doctors don't feel like they should recapture their expenses. Their salaries aren't fabulous either. Ambitious doctors who want to earn more money have a private practice on the side. In this private practice, patients get in much faster. Within a week instead of waiting a couple of months for an appointment.

2. You can't sue a doctor for bazillions of euros, so doctors don't have those high insurance premium expenses (to pass on to patients)

3. People have a "state insurance". People who want the choice of nicer hospitals, private rooms, or better treatment in a private practice buy additional insurance.

4. Europe has a stricter immigration policy to try be able to take of the people already there.

5. How do the european countries afford these nearly free univerisities and socialized health insurance? People pay roughly 40 to 50% income tax,- a flat tax rate without the various deduction and loopholes. Additionally there is 16% and MORE, value added tax (sales tax).

6. It is impossible in America to have a socialized health program when there are high medical school costs, lawyers suing like crazy, immigrants streaming in, and nobody wanting higher taxes.

Get rid of health insurance, don't let the government interfere with our doctors.

The reason everyone thinks we need insurance is because the insurance companies drive up costs because they know we will pay them instead of the doctor. So you have a built in base that they profit from. Get rid of the insurance company. That allows you to pay cash for the services of your doctor and they can give you better treatment.

Not everybody needs health insurance. There a lot of young people out there that don't need insurance. They have healthy bodies and are just paying money for everyone else to slack off because it is paid for and they don't care. That is where the abuse comes in.

Health care is NOT a right. It is a privilege. Just like you don't have a right to own and drive a car. It is a privilege. Don't abuse your privileges and this country can be as great as you want it to be. We don't want socialism. Just remember this: God gave you all this. Respect our country instead of taking it for granted.

Reduce health care costs by 90% by having people supplement. Instead of supporting big pharmaceuticals. They would then prevent over 900 diseases including the 80 major degenerative diseases, like heart, cancer, diabetes, and arthritis. If farmers did not supplement the food of their animals you would pay $250 a pound for beef. They found out a long time ago that it is easier and cheaper to prevent. The soils we grow the plants on are deficient in many essential nutrients, so our bodies succumb to imbalances(disease).

I don't know why everyone is so concerned about healthcare.Have we forgotton the Arab fundamentalists (accent on the mental) want US all dead? If healthcare reform covers radiation poisoning/burns then I'm all for changing it. Otherwize, the US has bigger issues to worry about.We all know how the Muslim world regards woman, ie. subservient, weak.......Just imagine their 9th century mentality reacting to a US female president....It would be the ultimate sign of weakness.Especially coinciding with a 1st time Israeli female prime minister winning as well. If we learn anything by recent history/events is to prepare for terrible days ahead.